Waiting
by Adipodes Poe
Summary: Ron has a heart to heart with his grown daughter Georgie when she's feeling down. One-shot, sequel to "Completely" PLEASE, R/R! It'll make you have that good "I reviewed" feeling. Rating for mention of mature themes.


Disclaimer: I've said this before and I'll say it again. I don't own them. Don't sue me, I don't deserve it. After I finished "Completely" I realized that I simply loved those two characters, especially my Ron. Then my best friend told me that she also loved my Ron and so I set out to write another story. I hope I developed Georgie's character well enough. PLEASE READ & REVIEW!!!! I will be forever grateful.

  
  


Dedicated to every bride who has felt this way. You are more beautiful than you can possibly imagine.

Waiting

  
  


Ron, was not happy. He was sitting in a witch's bridal boutique *waiting*. 

In fact, he had been *waiting* for quite sometime now. He didn't like these silly shops or all of these obnoxious sales witches, and he *especially* didn't like the fluffy, lacy, ancient stool he had been forced to squat on, no, not sit, what he was being made to do, was definitely squatting. Sitting required his bum to be much higher off of the ground. He decided then and there that he was too old for all this business. He was going to be fifty in less than five years. He considered that a long enough life-span to be permanently exempt from this sort of silly, female rubbish.

There was one thing and one thing only keeping him rooted to his spot, grumbling under his breath. His oldest daughter was going to be married and he was going to be included if it killed him. And the way things were looking, it WAS going to kill him. He was grumpy, disgruntled, surrounded by a few of Georgie's closest friends, her mother, and all three of her sisters, *and* to make matters as annoying as possible, his backside was beginning to fall asleep.

All the women around him were chattering and squealing and generally making his already pounding head, pound harder. Georgie was lucky that he loved her to a fault. She really better appreciate his discomfort in this situation, he decided. Suddenly the fitting room witch came out from his daughter's fitting room and tried to speak over the all of the chatter. 

"Excuse me! Excuse ME!!!" she yelled, the talking stopped abruptly, "Where is the father of the bride?"

Ron's head shot up and he raised his hand like a naughty first year, not keen on being singled out.

The sales witch looked at him and motioned toward the door, "She wants a word with you." 

Ron looked surprised, but obliged, ambling toward the door with his hands in his pockets, trying to look at ease, though he doubted that he'd pulled it off. He strode into the back hallway where there were doors leading off in all directions. Ron heard a small 'psst' from behind him and turned to see Georgie's head peaking out at him from a door. She gave him a small smile, but was obviously a little upset by something. He walked over to her and she stood to let him gain entry into the medium-sized, lavender room.

"You wanted to speak to me," he asked, looking at her with concern. 

She looked up at him and then, promptly began wailing as if this was the worst day of her entire life.

"Georgie whatever is the matter with you?" he asked, sitting down next to her on the little fainting couch that she'd ended up on. That's when he noticed that she was slightly disheveled. Her hair, which was a deliciously curly auburn-red, had been pinned up into an easy style, but was now about to fall down. She was *almost* wearing the elegant robe which hung off of one shoulder, unzipped in the back, revealing nothing at all, seeing as she was wearing the *most* underwear Ron had ever seen on one person in his life.

"Oh dad, I'm fat, and ugly, and I just want to go home and curl up in my little bed and sleep until I'm dead." She looked up at him with a sincere sniffle. Ron couldn't believe what he was hearing. Didn't she know how wonderful and lovely she was? Didn't she know how her friends, and her family, especially him, simply adored her? Come to think of it, maybe she didn't.

"Why would you say something that.....insane?" he asked her, standing up and pacing to the other side of the room and turning on his heal to await her answer.

"Because this stupid robe," she stepped out of it, now only wearing her twelve pounds of underwear and a large puffy slip, "is *supposed* to be my size, but it won't zip! I just want to throw a bloody fit!"

As he watched her throw her 'bloody fit' he couldn't help but think back to the days when her mother was Georgie's age. She always had such...fire. She was so passionate and brilliant. Georgie was an unmistakable clone as far as that went. And she was beautiful in that strange way her mother had. Beauty in the way she spoke, the way she listened, the way she stared, and laughed, and hugged. It was in the way she moved. 

"Georgie.....sit DOWN, NOW!" he yelled and she promptly clipped her mouth closed and grunted femininely as she plopped down on the little couch.

"First of all, you are NOT fat, or ugly, or any other horrible thing that you could possibly be thinking. Second, if I ever doubted it before I was a fool, because you are unmistakably mine, and your mother's child. And Third, sweetheart, if I may say so. I didn't like this particular robe to begin with and I saw a much prettier one just a few minutes ago. Now, would you like me to leave you alone in here so you can let your stubborn, temperamental, red, Weasley head blow up and splatter on these pukey violet walls, or will you permit me to leave and come back with the other robes so that you can get over yourself and be happy again?" Ron was staring at her with a wild look in his eye, but that faded as her teary eyes scrunched and her crooked smile overtook her face. Then, of all things, she began to laugh hysterically.

"Oh, Dad!" she fell over and curled up on the couch, her hair finally succumbing to gravity and spilling, long and shining over the end of the couch. She was shaking and gasping for air, happy tears rolling down her face.

Ron walked over to her and knelt down beside her, "Now that looks like my Georgie."

"Thanks dad," She said sitting up, "I just really....freaked out. I wish those robes had fit. I mean, I could have handled it being too big, but too small.....that was a bit much."

She had that sad look in her eyes again. Ron grabbed her hand and brought her over to the mirror.

"Look at yourself."

"Da-ad!" she crossed her arms and gave him that exasperated look that her mother did so well.

"Geo-rgie! I mean it. Look" he said. She let her arms drop to her sides and stood up straighter. She was now wearing only her undergarments which covered all that a bathing suit would, and more. Her puffy slip had been a casualty of her 'bloody fit'.

"Ok, what am I supposed to be *looking* at?" Georgie said, looking at herself with a disapproving stare.

"Sweetheart, you are....simply.....wonderful. You are lovely and you have soft feminine curves. You look like the picture of a woman. Which I must tell you, makes me....a complete mental case. Georgie, you look.....exactly like your mother. And you know what I think of her." Ron smiled into their reflections. He watch as Georgie, with a disbelieving look, turn around, looking at herself.

"Dad, I'm gong to ask you a question, and it's going to make you uncomfortable, but you are the only one who can answer this question that I trust enough to ask it." She crossed her arms in front of her self-consciously.

"Alright, ask." Ron said.

She turned to him and looked down at the ground, "I've already had a talk with mum about....you know."

"About...?" she looked up at him and widened her eyes, willing him to understand. And he did, "Oh, that."

"Yes, well, I asked her lots of things, practical things you know. But there was one question that I've had and it's not practical at all." she rushed on, walking over to the little sofa and turning back to face Ron, now red-faced, but still attentive. His daughter was confiding in him, and he wasn't going to miss it.

"Go on..." He prodded.

"Well....what I'm trying to say is....will he....judge me?" Ron looked confused, "I mean, when it all comes down to it, will the way that I look.....make a difference?"

"OH!," Ron said, smiling " I see. Well, you've kept him waiting right?"

"Of course." she said, tightening her arms around herself.

"And he's tried to....initiate the situation?" Ron asked carefully, trying no to think too hard about what he was asking.

"Yes, you know I don't think I want to have this conversation anymore.." she sat down.

"No, this is important. If it wasn't, you wouldn't have asked." Ron said, sitting next to her and leaning back.

"Alright. Yes, he has. Not forcefully of course, but I suppose he has." she still wouldn't look at him.

"So, you're saying that he's showed that he wants you, and that he's waited, patiently for you." he raised his eyebrows.

"Well, when you say it like that..."she said, looking at him like he was mad.

"That's how it is, *trust* me. I maybe your father, but I'm still a guy and I wouldn't lie to you. Do you know how your mother used to drive me crazy? She would kiss me and touch my face and run her fingers through my hair and when she knew that I was just on the edge of sanity, she would sit up and smooth her hair, and say, 'well, now what are we going to do?' It was a completely brilliant plan. Now that I think about it. Because it didn't take me long to get the message that the only way we were ever going to....you know, was after she had that ring on her finger. She was a wild on though, and she was just as insecure with herself as you are. But I'll tell you what, all the thing she saw that were wrong with her. I didn't see them that way. All I saw, was a brilliant, gorgeous woman who I couldn't manage to keep my...hands off of. And as much as my stomach hurts to think about it, I think Will feels the same about you that I did about your mother."

"He does." both Georgie and Ron looked up startled at the new voice in the room. 

Hermione was leaning against the door smiling slyly at Ron, her arms crossed in front of her.

"Mom, I'm scared." Georgie said.

"I know. But when everyone goes home and the excitement is over, it will just be you and him, and that is the best part." Hermione smoothed her hair and patted her face.

"You're right," Georgie walked over and picked up the discarded robes and hung them back up, "I'm gonna go get those other robes. Where are they?"

"They're in the window on the right side." Ron said. 

"Thanks dad," Georgie said, putting on her cloak and kissing Ron on the cheek. Then, she took the robes and went out to retrieve the other ones.

"So....Wild huh? Brilliant humm? Gorgeous? Couldn't keep you hands off me..." Hermione walked over to Ron and put her arms around his neck.

"I couldn't, as much as I wanted to deny it in the beginning. You know, I could have made you blush in fourth year with the thoughts I was having concerning you and those beautiful robes at that silly Yule Ball."

"I bet I could have done the same when you got on that train at the beginning of sixth year. I mean, you were *so* good-looking at sixteen. I nearly fainted." Hermione, grinned and giggled, her low, rich giggle.

"You are going to be the best-looking grand mum ever." He said.

"Oh god, Grandchildren!" Hermione buried her face in one hand.

"We are going to spoil them rotten. It's going to be so fun!" Ron said, smiling devilishly.

"Let's marry this one off first all right?" Hermione's eyes shone.

"Okay." Ron said. She looked at him and then leaned in to give him a chaste kiss that quickly deepened. Then, they broke apart and looked at each other.

"I love you, you silly man." Hermione said, ruffling his hair.

"And I love you" Ron put his arm around her waist.

They began to walk out the door and Hermione poked him in the side, "It was a completely brilliant plan wasn't it?" 

"What?" he asked.

"Leaving you waiting . . . wanting more each time you, *managed* to get anywhere with me. I must say, it was a good ploy, but terribly hard to keep up." She touched his hand.

Ron snickered, "Hard huh? Well, I guess that makes me feel pretty good."

"But, I did do it all to rope you into asking me to marry you." She said, pushing the door open and reentering the main part of the shop. Ron looked around at his family and friends and smiled.

"Yeah, well, I guess this makes me feel pretty good too." He kissed her cheek and sat pleasantly and uncomplaining, back on the little stool and continued to wait. 

~Fin

  
  


Now, REVIEW!!! PLEASE? It's not very nice to make people grovel...


End file.
